Phantom Smashers of Hearts
by Facelessmist64
Summary: The Phantom Thieves had disbanded following the defeat of Yaldaboath, with everyone having gone back to leading normal lives. As a certain young man is visiting his friends in Tokyo, he receives a letter that throws him back into the action... (One-shot)


**Phantom Smashers of Hearts**

By FacelessMist64

Through the crisp night air, laughter could be heard throughout the alleyways of Tokyo. It was no phantom, no ghoul, and certainly no monster... One could easily define it as the innocuous sounds of friends hanging out. No one knew why the alleys echo with the voices of these random individuals, none of them had ever made a name of themselves.

Little did the people of Tokyo know of their alter-egos, the infamous Phantom Thieves that became the talk of the world over. It's November 28, almost nearly two years since Yaldaboath nearly claimed dominion over the world. While many claim that the apparent apocalypse that had been narrowly prevented by the self-same thieves never happened, their legend lived on.

No logic could explain the why the echoed voices seem to resound throughout the veins of the metropolis, one could easily claim it to be the alleys themselves honoring the greatest thieves to have ever lived.

"I'm tellin' ya, you should have gotten the ramen."

"Apologies, I decided to get something cheap for the sake of buying new art supplies tomorrow."

"Stupid Inari! We were supposed get together and feast like kings! Forget about your drawings for once!"

"Drawings?! They're sketches!"

Indeed, it was playful banter like this that filled the dark paths, accompanying any who walked through.

~-S-~

The group reach a cafe they all knew well. As they each said their goodbyes the only one left at it's doorstep was a black-haired youth and a mischievous cat. The boy opens the door to Leblanc and are greeted to the sights and smells that had become his home for a year. An old gentleman stood behind the bar, reading the newspaper. As he looks up from his article he smiles at the boy, happy to see a familiar face.

"Well, it's about time you got back. I was about to lock up and leave you out in the cold!" He jokes, putting down his paper.

The youth smiles back. "Thanks for waiting!" He sits at one of the stools. The cat leaps onto the counter, leisurely stretching.

As they began to converse, The youth began to think on the vacation ahead. He was essentially on break, so he decided to spend that time to visit his closest friends in Tokyo. He was pulled from his thought as a cup of coffee slides in front of him.

"Don't worry, it's decaf." Sojiro assures. With a nod and a smile, he thanks Sojiro for the cup. As he drinks, he could taste the various decadent and rich flavors in it. He expected nothing less from the master.

"By the way..." Sojiro starts, pulling out a letter.

"Got this in the mail. It's for you, but... it doesn't use your real name. It uses your 'other' name." He explains. "I thought I'd tell you about it after you went out with your friends, that way I didn't spoil your guys' fun." The circumstance confusing the teenager, he's still grateful for his consideration. The cat, Morgana, perks up at this. After taking the letter, he sees the writing on the back of the envelope.

 _~Joker~_

He looks at the envelope for a few seconds, a bit of fear seeping into him. Someone had figured out his alias, Joker. Who could have learned about this? He stopped going by that name years ago...

He flips over the piece of paper and his heart seems to stop. He couldn't even begin to process this new piece of information despite it being so small. Morgana looks confused as to why his friend was so stricken. "What's up? Who's the letter from?" He asks, jumping onto the other's shoulder.

When he saw the envelope, he immediately understood the surprise. "Whoa! That wax seal...! Do you know what this means?!" He yells, although anyone else would just hear a cat meow, to Morgana's teammates, they could understand every word he said.

No words came from his mouth, shock having taken over his system. The wax seal had a simple emblem attached. Two perpendicular lines inside a circle, simplicity itself. But he knew the significance of what the symbol meant for those involved. He hears a rustling of metal as Sojiro opens the silverware drawer. From it, he produces a butter knife. "Here."

Momentarily confused, he wonders why- Oh, right, the wax seal! He takes the knife from Sojiro's hand and sticks it between the folds in the paper. For a moment, he contemplated whether or not he was ready to open the letter, but it seems his body answered for him. His subconscious impatient, he relents and pulls the letter from it's container.

The letter itself wasn't particularly fancy, just plain paper with another crest at it's bottom.

It read:

 _To The Infamous Joker~_

 _This December we are hosting the Super Smash Tournament, and we are looking for participates. For this, we have considered you. Your accomplishments two years prior have made you a legend around here, and it is with great honor that we formally invite you to Super Smash Bros. We hope you consider this proposition._

 _If you are interested, a private plane will arrive at the Haneda airport at 6:00 A.M., December 3, flight 237. You will then be transported to the Los Angeles International Airport, the reason for which will be specified on the plane. If you are not interested, the plane will leave after a 24-hour period._

 _We hope to see you there._

 _~Masahiro Sakurai_

 _'_ Joker' stood there, flabbergasted. Morgana was nearly jumping in place in excitement. "What does say?! Come on, out with it!" Sojiro, unable to hear Morgana asks the same question. "So, what? Anything to be worried about?"

Slowly, Joker grins, excitement nearly overwhelming him. He turns towards them both. "... So... Sorry to cut this visit short... But I got to get to start packing again!"

Sojiro's brow furrows. "You mean you're leaving already? What did the letter say?"

Joker slides the letter across the counter, Sojiro catching it.

"Well, I've just been given the chance of a lifetime!"

~-S-~

Joker stepped out of the cab and into the airport. As he entered he looked around, trying to see past the mass of people around him and find a map of the area. After a few minutes, he found the plastic map plastered to the wall. Doing his best to navigate alone, he gradually makes his way to a definitive boarding zone.

Among the various flights in the lobby, one waiting area was completely devoid of people. The check-in person stood alone behind the counter, meeting Joker with an expectant smile. Joker looked up to the plate above the tunnel.

"237..."

The attendant greets him. "Hello sir, we have been expecting you. At your leave, we will take flight post-haste."

Joker gives a small and hesitant nod, still nervous. "Uh, thanks..." As he walks through the boarding tunnel, he starts to wonder what the tournament will be like, or why the destination is California...

He boards the plane, and as he enters the passenger area he notices several people waiting there as well. Among them was a gruff-looking man wearing a bandana and grey jumpsuit. Another was seemingly a kid dressed in all green, and the third was a man dressed in a red gi, sporting bright blond hair. Finally, a man dressed in a blue sleeveless shirt sat in the back, polishing a sort of metal flail.

They all look at him for a second before returning to their original business. Joker slowly makes his way to one of the seats, not seeing any form of name tag to indicate seats. As he sits down an attendant walks over to him. "Hello, sir. We have been instructed to give you this."

They give Joker a piece of paper. Joker takes it and reads what the anonymous writer has to say.

" _We thank you for participating in the Super Smash Tournament. In celebration of your arrival we have planned out an appropriately stylish entrance for you to perform. On December 6, the Game Awards will be taking place, and with the express permission of the organizers, we wish for you to 'crash' the event. We believe it would be a perfect announcement for someone of your reputation."_

"I'm crashing the Game Awards...?!" Joker whispers, bewildered. This week was just getting more and more crazy! Despite each step he was taking seemed to hold another shock to his system, he couldn't be any more excited or enthusiastic towards what the future seemed to hold.

As the plane rung out the signal for all passengers to buckle up, Joker pulled out his phone and earplugs. He loaded up his favorite song and leaned back, he could tell this was going to be a long flight...

 _"I'm a shape shifter, at Poe's masquerade... Hiding both face and mind... All free for you to draw..."_

~-S-~

"Ugh, dude this is so boring..." Ryuji groans, ready to close the tab that was streaming the Game Awards. "I was gonna watch this anyways, but their barely showing anything..."

"Hey, you said that we absolutely needed to see this, but when is that part coming up? I have a photo shoot tomorrow..." Ann asks, yawning afterwards.

"I really must get back to this piece I've been working on." Yusuke insists, having drawn sketches the entire stream.

"Hold on guys, it's about to get good!" Morgana insists, wishing he could have gone with Joker. Unfortunately Makoto, Futaba, and Haru weren't able to join the stream.

Suddenly, the auditorium darkens, and the announcer feigns surprise. The giant screen devolves to static and faint traces of red. Everyone grows quiet and confused at what will happen.

The static fades, leaving nothing but a bright red screen. White paint seems to appear from it's center and flourish outwards, producing a picture of a top hat and masquerade mask, with the words 'Take your heart' spelled along the bottom.

It was the Phantom Thieves signature emblem.

"This is Joker, I've infiltrated the theater."

The leader of the Thieves appears on the screen, wearing the jet-black outfit he once donned against the corrupt.

Ryuji: "Wait, seriously?! You went alone to the Game Awards?!" Everyone in the call was shocked as they heard Ryuji's voice not only in the call, but on stream as well.

Ann: "But... it's so far away! Why is he there?"

Morgana: "There's only one thing the Phantom Thieves of Hearts specialize in!" He explains, his voice sounding human on stream as well.

Yusuke: "He's there to steal a Treasure!" Yusuke realizes. "Have you already sent a Calling Card?

"We aren't the ones sending a card this time, in fact, we've been invited..." Morgana says coyly. "Invited to steal the greatest Treasure of all!"

Joker stands up, presenting a letter to the audience. All the camera showed was the blank back of the letter. Slowly, Joker flipped the letter around, revealing the famous logo that sent the crowd into a frenzy.

Ann: "WHAAAAAAAT?!

Ryuji: "Smash Bros.?! Is this for real?!"

Joker grins, having waited for this moment for days.

Morgana: "We'll be going up against the best of the best! Can't wait for our fearless leader to show his stuff!"

 _'Don't worry.'_ Joker thinks, slowly grabbing at his mask. _'They'll never see me coming!'_

"PERSONA!"


End file.
